


Fallen? Maybe.

by grace017



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie Andrews Being an Idiot, Canon Related, Core Four, Denial, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Jealous Betty Cooper, Jealous Jughead Jones, Jealous Veronica Lodge, Jealousy, Jughead Jones Loves Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones-centric, Minor Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, No Gargoyle King Here, No one's together, POV Jughead Jones, Pop Tate's Chocklit Shoppe, Season/Series 01, Teenage Dorks, Teenagers, Yet!, bughead - Freeform, everyone is jealous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 13:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17367092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grace017/pseuds/grace017
Summary: Jughead struggles with his feelings for the bright-eyed, ponytailed girl he has grown up with.One-shot of the core four sat in a booth at Pop’s, of course, being typical teenagers.





	Fallen? Maybe.

“So, B” Veronica clasped her hands together and grinned excitedly “Tell us everything.”

_Please don’t._

Jughead chanced a look around their table, met only with blank faces staring intently at Betty and felt the relief flood through him that he hadn’t just said that out loud.

“There’s nothing to tell, V, sorry to disappoint I guess!” Betty shrugged as her cheeks tinged a slight shade of pink. She turned back to her menu, suddenly studying the pages as if she hadn’t spent the rest of her childhood doing the same thing.

Jughead knew she was trying to avoid the subject. Not only because he knew that _she_ _knew_ that menu off by heart, but because they’d already ordered at least 15 minutes ago.

She seemed scared to talk to him about her date with Trev. But then again, he was petrified in case she ever did. Hearing her gush over some ‘ _cute_ ’ guy she barely knew was the last thing Jughead wanted to hear. Maybe it was for the best.

“Well it must have gone well. Don’t act like I didn’t see the single red rose he brought to school for you yesterday. God Betty, if he’s as good as he seems don’t push him away, you don’t realise how hard it is to find a man who knows how to treat a lady right.”

Jughead watched as Veronica’s eyes darted across to Archie. He could’ve sworn he saw a splinter of hurt, or maybe even sadness flicker across her features, but in the blink of an eye, her icy exterior was built straight back up. That girl could seriously challenge Elsa for the title of ice queen and win hands down.

Not that he watched Disney films. Jughead wasn’t interested in fairy tales, or anything that gave life a glimmer of hope for that matter. A walking, singing snowman? Hard no.

He just happened to be sat with an overly excited Betty at the Twilight Drive-in when they played it over the Summer. Again, not that he watched Disney films. He just had nothing better to do that night. And, admittedly, he had absolutely no capacity to ever say no to Betty. Especially when her eyes sparkled and her bottom lip popped out, stating that Polly’s twins had fallen asleep too early and she needed her “movie buddy”.

 _Never again_ he vowed. But as he walked Betty home that night he found himself praying it wouldn’t be the last time.

 

Betty cleared her throat quietly, knocking Jughead back to reality.

“I think I can see them plating up your nachos from here Arch, Jeez” The blonde said softly, changing the subject as quickly as possible.

_Smooth, Betts._

“Hell yeah” Archie grinned, licking his lips and bobbing up and down in excitement. Was he seventeen years old or seventeen _months_? Jughead wasn’t quite sure.

“Hm, well, what about you Jones?” Veronica asked, eyeing him with such intensity he seriously considered sliding down the booth, crawling out from under the table and sprinting out of the front door.

If Archie wasn’t wedging him into the seat he probably would have.

“What about me, Lodge?”

“The newest transfer from Southside High, Toni, is it?” The smirk on Veronica’s face grew as the girl sat next to her pursed her own lips together.

Jughead swallowed hard. Toni had been flirting with him since she moved to their school. At first he thought it was just her way of being friendly, sticking by his side because he was the only slightly familiar face at Riverdale High thanks to his ‘legendary’ father. But after she’d made crappy comments about Betty and wormed her way a bit _too_ close to his face a couple of times, he’d taken a step back. Or maybe ten.

He grunted in response.

That kind of question didn’t deserve words.

“But you started that photography class together? Don’t tell me you actually volunteered to stay behind at school to do _work_.”

“Work?” Archie piped up, a mischievous glint in his eye “I thought her name was Toni”

Veronica exploded into laughter with Archie, neither able to contain their cackles.

“Ha-ha” Jughead muttered. He hated being the centre of attention when it came to Veronica’s gossiping or Archie’s bro-dude jokes.

Betty stayed silent opposite him. He could feel her eyes on him, searching for answers and trying to read his expressions in the way only she could do. Most of the time she knew what he was thinking before he’d even thought it.

But without sounding like a complete, first-class fuckboy, Jughead liked that she seemed jealous. He kept his eyes on Veronica and Archie, even forcing a smile. No way was she going to read him this time.

_You keep your cards close to your chest Cooper, and I shall do the same._

 

Pop slid their trays onto the table with the help of a new young waitress named Sabrina.

He certainly hadn’t seen her here before (and with the diner being his second home practically since the day he leapt out of his mother’s womb, he would know).

“Thanks, Pop” The gang said together, practically singing it in unison these days. Maybe they were too well rehearsed.

“And you too… Sabrina” Archie added, taking a minute to look the new girl up and down, finally stopping as his eyes settled on her chest. No, name tag. Definitely name tag. Easy mistake, he hoped.

Jughead watched as Sabrina batted her lashes, giggling nervously before nodding her head and scurrying off to follow Pop back to the register.

He’d taken the back seat and watched Archie chase after girls more times than he could count. Take the entire population of the ‘Town with Pep’ and you still wouldn’t have enough hands to count on.

But Jughead silently thanked his friend for teaching him so much about the mysterious race known as _women_. He now knew not to come on too strong, not to challenge their fathers, and that unlike burgers, girls were a one-at-a-time kinda deal.

All that knowledge without having to put himself out there.

Thanks, Arch.

 

“Wow” Veronica sighed at Archie’s antics. He didn’t miss the eye roll she threw in there.

At least the boy sitting next to him seemed blissfully unaware of the cold glares currently being launched like fucking snowballs across the table.

Everyone had felt slightly uneasy around Veronica and Archie since they broke up last month. It was only a short, 2 month affair that burnt out as soon as it was lit, but Veronica seemed to be the grudge-holding type. She did not like that Archie couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering, even when they were supposedly together.

Anyway, that was not his problem and certainly not one he planned on getting involved in any time soon.

 

Seemingly unsatisfied with his choice of Number 5 – _Pop’s Ultimate Mount o’ Nachos_ \- Archie reached his hand across to Jughead’s plate. Before the redhead’s greasy mitts could even touch the air surrounding his plate of heaven, Jughead gripped Archie’s wrist, slowly tightening his grip as he exhaled harshly through his nose.

“Don’t cross me Arch, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill for this burger right now.” Jughead warned.

“Well… technically you already _have_.”

He didn’t even need to look up from his plate to know whose smart little mouth that had come from. She had been staring at him since Veronica had mentioned Toni.

_Hypocrite._

Her newly found vegetarianism was just adding fuel to the fire. What kind of human _chooses_ to eat leaves? It baffled him. Maybe they weren’t such a perfect match after all.

Jughead tried to bite his tongue.

Really, he tried.

He may as well have bitten it clean off, clamping his jaw shut so tight that his whole mouth was now numb.

“No one sassed you for chasing after _Trev’s_ meat” He just couldn’t help himself. Nothing could stop him from getting the last word. Not even the smart little mouth belonging to the smart little girl he had fallen so hard for.

 

Fallen? Maybe. Tripped, tumbled and crash-landed face first into the pavement? Definitely.

He smirked at Betty’s flushed face. _Accomplishment at its finest_.

“Now if you don’t mind” Jughead tutted before picking up his burger and taking an over-exaggerated bite, all the while keeping his eyes locked with hers. She was still in a state of shock from his comment, jaw hanging slack and eyes burning deep into his. Veronica and Archie were practically howling at this point. But she still hadn’t moved an inch.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something reminiscent of Season 1 Riverdale before things got all dark and twisted (not that I'm complaining). I just love a bit of sassy Jughead and it's nice to think of them all as typical teenagers with crushes and awkward tension.. Bless
> 
> I hope you enjoy it,  
> Please let me know what you think! :)


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